Bluetongue (BT) is an infectious, non-contagious arthropod borne viral disease of wild and domestic ruminants especially sheep which inflict major losses on subsistence of sheep farmers in southern India. Affected sheep may have erosions and ulcerations on the mucous membranes, dyspnea, lameness and inflammation of the coronary band. The disease is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), the type species of the genus Orbivirus and family Reoviridae. BTV is transmitted between their ruminant hosts by certain species of haematophagous insects such as Culicoides (biting midge). BT is OIE list ‘A’ multispecies disease. Till date more than 27 serotypes have been reported. The present study was carried out with the objectives to identify and characterize the Culicodes species available in our laboratory. The Culicoides DNA samples extracted using a non-destructive DNA extraction method were amplified using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene specific primers. An amplicon of 523 bp was obtained in amplified sample. The samples were further morphologically confirmed as culicoides oxystoma by stereo microscope. In this study, 25 Culicoides samples were processed for molecular detection by PCR. Out of these 20 samples were identified as C. Oxystoma. Morphological study by stereo microscope also confirmed these 20 samples as C. Oxystoma.

Keywords: Bluetongue Virus; Non-Destructive DNA Extraction; Culicoides Oxystoma; PCR.